The former Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, did not show up this Monday, August 26th, for the first summons from the Public Ministry. This situation forced the authorities to summon him again to give a statement on Tuesday morning. This is part of a criminal investigation against him after denouncing electoral fraud in the elections held on July 28th, controversially awarding Nicolás Maduro as the winner.
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Tarek William Saab, Attorney General of Venezuela and one of the most allied personalities to Maduro, as well as a historic member of Chavismo, was the person in charge of announcing the obligation for González Urrutia to respond to the government entity's call, the same one that is internationally accused of favoring the interests of the government in its harsh persecution of the opposition population.
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What is Edmundo González accused of?
The 74-year-old politician, who has been in hiding for three weeks, is being investigated for alleged crimes such as "usurpation of functions" and "forgery of a public document". Lawyer Joel García, who defends imprisoned opposition members, warned that "due to this catalog of crimes, the sentence could reach 30 years", the maximum in the country.
Through a video on social media, González Urrutia defined Tarek William Saab as a "political accuser" on Sunday, August 25th. He also added that "the Public Ministry intends to subject me to an interview without specifying in what capacity I am expected to appear (as an accused, witness, or expert according to Venezuelan law) and prequalifying crimes not committed. Anticipatory condemnation and now promoting a summons without guarantees of independence and due process."
Edmundo González and María Corina Machado are accused of the acts of violence in post-election protests that left 27 dead, nearly 200 injured, and more than 2400 detained. It is worth noting that in Venezuela, if a defendant fails to appear, the prosecution could request a court to issue an arrest warrant.